Question

The word fowl is used for domestic cock or hen . Which of the following variety/ varieties of fowl is/ are indigenous one/ones?
(i) Rhode island red
(ii) Assel
(iii) Plymouth rock
(iv) Leghorn
(A) (i),(ii) and (iii)
(B) Only (ii)
(C) Only (iv)
(D) (i) and (ii)

Answer 1

Fowl is the domestic cock or hen. There are many breeds which are native to India while some of them are exotic and they are imported to india. Some of the exotic breeds may not adapt to indian environment, so in that case their crossing is done.

Complete answer:
Rhode island red: It is native American domestic breed . It was developed in Rhode island. It is Reddish brown colour hen and black at the end of the tail with yellow colour legs. When it was brought to India , It did not do well in indian environment , so it was crossed with native indian breeds. And now it is one of the highest egg-laying hens in Indian market.
Assel: it is the famous indian breed of the hen which is very aggressive in nature and it is mainly used for cock fighting. There are many breeds of Assel but Sindhi assel is considered best for cock fighting.
Plymouth rock: It is considered as one of the most popular breeds of the USA. Their weight may vary from $4 - 5Kg$. It is a dual purpose chicken (used for both meat and eggs).
Leghorn: it is a breed of domestic chicken that originated in Tuscany region of central Italy. They come in a variety of colours ,most notably white and brown . They lay white eggs. They lay eggs in between 200-350 per year.
Hence, from the above discussion it is clear that Assel is Indian breed while others are exotic breeds.

Hence the correct answer is OPTION(B)

Note: There are two types of chicken based on the purpose:

1. Layers: This type of chicken is managed for the purpose of getting eggs. And the main focus is on the production of large numbers of eggs and not on the overall body development of the hen. They are kept for about 500 days .
   2)Broiler: these are maintained for meat production and hence the main focus is on the overall body development. They are kept for about 6-7 weeks.